Rail-joint closer



' I. NAYLOR AND J. C. TUCKER.

RAIL JOINT CLOSER.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.a1,1921.

L890, 153. PatentedSept. ,6, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET S.

ATTORNEY WITNESS:

I. NAYLOR AND J. C. TUCKER.

RML JOINT CLOSER.

APPLICATION FILED um. 31, 1921.

1,399,153.. tfidS pt- 6, 192k 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNES:

me. NAYLOR AND James 0. ruoxnnor nnaxroiv, WEST VIRGINIA.

RAIL-JOINT cLosEn.

naeeass.

To all whom may conccrm Be it known that we, IRA NAYLOR and James C. Toonnn, citizensof the United States, residing at Braxton, in the county of Braxton and State of West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joint Closers, of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to railway devices, particularly to device for lining. up rails which have become displaced and has for its object the provision of a novel device of this character including members engageable with rails atthe opposite sides of a joint and operable to draw the rails together endwise which will not only take up or close an excessive space at the joint but which will also line up the rails so that they will have the proper gage, this device being particularly ada oted for use in connection with comparatively light rails such as are used for mine cars and the like and being a distinct im provement over the well known practice of hammering the ends of the rails to force them into place or inserting wooden filler blocks. I

An important object is the provision of a device or" this character which includes rail gripping members secured to the rails and connected by screw means for drawing the members and consequently the rails together. An additional objectis the provision of a device of this character which will be simple and inexpensive in manufacture, highly efiicient in use, positive in action, durable in service, and a general improvement in the art.

With the above and other objects and ad-.

vantages in view, the invention consists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of our device engaged upon rails,

Fig. 2 is a plan View,

Fig. 3 isan end view,

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view, and

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of one of the.

rail grips.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the letters A and B designate the ends of rails to be set and these rails have their webs provided adjacent their ends with the usual holes C, for the passage of the bolts which hold the fish plates. In carrying out Specification of Letters Patent. I Pmtgntgdg t 5 jgZ Aplication filed'lanuary 31, 1921. Serial No. 444,379. r i

our invention we provide two members desand associated with the rails A and B, respectively. The member 9 is formed as a platell designedto be placed over the top or" the rail A and including depending side port1ons12which are slotted, as shown at 13, for the reception of pivoted jaws 14 en? gageable with. the web of the rail and normally urged into such engagement by leafsprings 15. The end portions of the jaws 14 are formed withtransverse holes 16 designed to be brought into registration with one of the holes G, subsequently to. which a bolt 17 1s passed through the holes whereby the member 9 will be firmly anchored to the rail.

The member 10 likewise comprises aplate 18 formed upon its underside with side portions 19 extending atthe sides of the rail B. This member .10 is provided with jaws, 20 identical with the jaws 14 and urged into engagement with the rail by springs 2]. and secured to the rail by the bolt 22.

Formed or secured upon the top of the member 9 is an upstanding car 23 having a smooth bore 24 through which is shiftably engaged the smooth end 25 of an elongated screw rod 26 which has its opposite end squared, as shown at 27, for engagement by a wrench or the like. Mounted upon the top of the plate 18 is a split nut structure including a lower portion 28 and the upper hinged portion 29. The portion 28 carries ears 30 adapted to cooperate with a lug 31 on the portion 29, and 32 designates a wedge key designed to be driven through holes in the ears 80 to engage over the lug 31 for looking the sections of the split nut together. It is preferable that this key or wedge be connected with the member 10 by means of a flexible chain or the like 33. lit is of course apparent that. the screw 26 passes through the split nut member.

In the operation of the device it will be seen that the members 9 and 10 are engaged upon the rails A and B, respectively, as above described, with the screw 26 in position. When the screw is rotated it will be seen that the member 10 will be drawn toward the member 9, or vice versa, depending upon which rail is positively anchored to its ties. By means of this action and resultant movement it will be seen that rails which have become displaced may be pulled longitudinally to decrease anexcessive gap between them, this movement furignated broadly by the numerals 9 and 10 alinement in case they have become spread.

It is to be noted that the device entirely eliminates any necessity for hammering the ofthe rail, bolts carried by said members rails and consequently damaging them, as is one of the ordinary practicesin present 7 use;

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, it is of course to be understood that we reserve the right-to make such changes in the form, construction, and arrangement of parts as will not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims. f

Having thus described our invention, we claim: r

1. A device of the character described comprising a pair of members designed to be secured upon the end portions of meeting rails, a bracket on eachmember, one bracket being formed with a smooth bore and the other being 'formed with a split nut capable of being opened, and a screw having one end revolubly engaged through said smooth bore and having its other end portion threadedly engaged within said split nut.

2. A device of the character described comprising a pair of member'sadapted to be secured upon the end portions of meeting rails, a bracket formed on one of said members and having a smooth bore, a bracket on the other member having a threaded bore,a screw having one end revoluble within said-smooth bore and having its other end threaded within saidthreaded bore, and pivoted spring-pressed rail gripping 'aws carried by said members.

3. device of the character described comprising a pair of members designed to be engaged upon the end portions of-meetv ing rails, and each posable upon theltop of a'r'ail and having depending side portions engaging the web and adapted to pass through the fish plate bolt receiving holes 01"? the rails, and means for moving said members toward. each other relatively comprising a bracket member, one

including a plate dismember havmg a smoothbore, asplitnut swiveled upon the other member andhav ing a threaded'bore, and a screw rotatably engagedwithin said first named bore and having threaded engagement within said threaded bore.

4. A device of the character described comprising a pair of members designed to be engaged upon meeting rails near the end portions thereof and each including a body formed as a plate portion having depending side portions disposed at opposite sides of theassociated rail, a pair of horizontally movable jaws carried by each member and spring-pressed into engage ment with the web of the associated rail, the end portions of said jaws being formed with holes for the passage of securing bolts designed to pass through the fish plate bolt receiving holes of the webs, a member on the top or one of said plate portions having a smooth bore, a splitnut member mounted upon the other of said members and pro; vided with means whereby the sections thereof may be locked together, and a screw rotatable through said extension andhavi g a threaded portion engagedwithin said split nut member. Y

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures. V

' IRA NAYLOR.

* JAMES. C. TUCKER. 

